A leading figure from the British Army has warned that the Daily Mirror will lose sales in the armed forces over the Iraq pictures affair.
Former UN commander in Bosnia Colonel Bob Stewart (retired) told Press Gazette: “The impact of those photographs has been enormous in terms of the degradation of the reputation of the British Army. I just don’t understand why Morgan did it, particularly as so many people in the forces used to read the Mirror.
“I think Morgan got what he was asking for. I can’t understand how he didn’t see those pictures were suspicious – someone as professional and as knowledgeable as him.”
Stewart, whose former regiment, the Cheshire, is currently serving in Iraq, said the photographs had been passed around the streets of Basra and added to tensions in the area.
Commenting on reports that Morgan is seeking a severance package in excess of £1m, he said: “I don’t think he should receive a penny for being fired because the result of his actions has been to make it much more difficult for British soldiers and much more dangerous.”
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